Scared healthy and am at a loss where to begin.

Xaquin · May 2013

Dr_Keenbean wrote: »

I'll just poke my nose in here a little bit as fitness has become something I've put a lot of effort into in the last few years so I'll try to impart some of my wisdom.

First and foremost, everyone's physiology is different. What works for someone may not work for you. You will probably try a million different things before you find something that helps achieve your goals and a million more before you find something that achieves you goals and you actually like doing. Don't get discouraged, and don't give up!

It also helps tremendously (I've found) to have specific goals. Like currently my overall goal is 'build strength' but that is a blanket goal that I can break down into very specific sub-goals like 'bench press 1.5x my body weight' or 'deadlift 2x my body weight'.

Trying to eat right is a very good start and if you can manage that then your other goals will be cake since eating well takes a tremendous amount of discipline. Even little changes can have drastic effects. I know you mentioned cutting out soda and holy shit that's huge (assuming it was sugared soda) and you should be seeing positive results from that fairly quickly.

Lastly I really want to suggest taking up weight lifting, even if the weight is just your own body like doing squats, pushups, dips, etc. Don't be worried about bulking. The worst that's going to happen is that huge area that is taken up by your gut and ass is going to migrate north into your arms, chest, and shoulders.

You will have to buy all new shirts though.

EDIT: Also take a picture of yourself in the mirror (no duckface) every day. At the end of the month compare the first and last day and feel really fucking great about yourself. That's great motivation right there.

Yeah, I used to drink two to four 12-20oz cokes a day. I've had two in the past 6 days.

Nix on the new shirts

I still have all my old XL shirts I saved for just such an occasion (not being a no good fatty).

SanderJK · May 2013

What really helped with my getting fit was getting some friends to sport together, and picking two days a week to do so and rarely deviate. Now obviously this relies on having friends who can be interested in the same activity, but both doing stuff together and the pressure of not cancelling helps a ton. In our case we also agreed to rotate (healthy) cooking for these days, meaning that I get two days of not having to cook (and eating something that I probably wouldn't have made for myself), and in return spend one day with a little more effort because you want to serve your friends something nice.

Xaquin · May 2013

sadly, all of my friends (literally, which I just realized and am now kind of sad about) have all moved at least a state away.

That said, I go metal detecting a lot (apparently walking for extended periods whilst digging holes can burn some calories

Druhim · May 2013

You can always meet new people that share the same interests in activities you enjoy, whether that's hiking, jogging, rock climbing.

Alphanumber · May 2013

Guess I'll add a few things that I've heard, used, and found somewhat useful.

-In line with "everybody's physiology is different", everyone's metabolism may also be different. With each meal, you should attempt to figure out how fast your metabolism per given portion. If you eat a meal, wait, and feel hungry, then you've probably waited too long between meals. For whatever portion size you're using, subtract maybe 30 minutes from the elapsed time it takes you to get hungry to time your meals appropriately. Many plans usually stress portions and timing from 3 meals a day, to 4 to 5 smaller meals a day, to 6 to 7 meals a day. Those plans with more meals per day are typically trying to control your hormones in an attempt to keep your body in some sort of state, usually some fat burning, muscle building state. However, eating 3 meals a day with clean eating and good portions will get you about 90% of the way.

-Learn to engage your core if you haven't. Took me some time to get core engagement right, and I'm probably still doing it wrong. When you're sitting down, engage your core. Working out? Remember to engage your core. Walking or running about? Engage your core. Your core is basically the natural pillar of support of your body. The two primary muscles you need to engage your core are the transverse abdominous and the pelvic floor. To engage your core, brace your stomach like you are about to get punched in the gut. (Another way to think about it is to lay down on your back and try to flatten your lower back to the ground) Do not suck in your gut. Brace and fire up those muscles in the ab area. Along with that, try to flex your pelvic floor, like you are pissing and you want to stem the tide for a moment. Also called a Kegel. All while engaging your core, remember to breathe as normally as possible. When you start dropping some pounds, you might have a little extra sag in your stomach area. Some of that is probably stubborn fat, but some of that is also your core being lazy and not pulling in those muscles in the ab area.

-A sensible way to track your progress in conjunction to scales and body fat readers is to simply take a picture with your shirt off about once a week in the same position, front and side (and back if you're working out your back). Flip back and forth between each picture and see if you can find any visible progress per 2 month period. (Every 8 pictures.) Adjust your plan as needed.

Ganluan · May 2013

Xaquin, great job on cutting out the drinks.

I did that myself a few years ago. I used to drink soda regularly, probably 60 oz of it a day spread out across meals, and one day I realized my stomach felt like shit and I should try drinking more water for a bit to see if it settled down. Keep in mind at that point I didn't really drink water at all, only soda, which wasn't very bright.

A few days later, I had no desire to drink soda. It was kind of bizarre really, I liked how "clean" it felt to drink water and with ice in it, it makes it feel very refreshing. I even had soda left in the house that I ended up giving away, I simply had no desire to go back. My stomach has felt so much better since then, and I lost 20 pounds from that alone (and I wasn't really big to begin with, I'm 6'4" and weigh 165 now). Nowadays I have an IBC root beer as a treat now and then, but other than that I literally drink water 100% of the time.

Plus, drinking water saves you a lot of money when you do go out to eat!

schuss · May 2013

By the way, to help keep yourself motivated in terms of workouts, check out fitocracy.com . The whole "gaining levels" thing has helped me get back on track. They also have some great bodyweight and basic weightlifting circuits.

Xaquin · May 2013

ok, that's pretty cool

schuss · May 2013

Note that you'll get lots of "props" from random people, which is both good and odd.

Enc · May 2013

From my understanding, A lot of the props people are completing certain benefit events where they give props to a certain a mount of people to gain an achievement. Others (there are about 5-8 of these) are actual staff members who do nothing but prop people.

schuss · May 2013

Enc wrote: »

From my understanding, A lot of the props people are completing certain benefit events where they give props to a certain a mount of people to gain an achievement. Others (there are about 5-8 of these) are actual staff members who do nothing but prop people.

Makes sense, but I'm sure it makes the difference for some people who aren't so motivated.

Penny Arcade

Scared healthy and am at a loss where to begin.

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